As we approach the end of the year, every media journalist has to ask themselves what films should be on Oscar watch. Well for the animated film category the options are a little thin this year. That could be said for every category because of the astonishing effects of the duel strike last year, there really aren’t that many new films this year at all. That said, there were a few animated films released so far this year. Most were produced by streaming services. So we are going to visit Netflix’s Thelma and the Unicorn.
By 6 minutes in I felt like I could predict about 95% of the plot, but I am a film analyst and this film is meant for children so that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact I think a certain amount of predictability and formula is welcome in the children’s genre as it is specifically meant to be comforting.
Immediately the theme was very clear to me: be proud of who you are and accept yourself. I think that this is very important for children to hear and I think the delivery was exactly what it needed to be. As an adult the framing of the theme with the music industry also offers some industry commentary. The music industry constantly judges young artists by how they present themselves. The music seems to matter less and less and it really just matters what they look like and how many followers they can gain on social media. And I think the idea of this little farm pony not even being allowed to audition because she looks too “ordinary” comments on that really well.
The music is really good. I am vibin with it. As far as a kids movie goes the music is super awesome. It isn’t overly “catchy” or repetitive, but it's super fun.
Then we have this existing pop star, Nikki Narwhal, and she is struggling to stay relevant. I think that this perspective is super important in a film that is essentially about the music industry. Think of Taylor Swift and her “eras” artists, specifically female artists, are constantly challenged to reinvent themselves and their music to keep doing what they love.
The pacing is great. I feel like sometimes kids movies, by nature of the desired audience and corporate greed can be really shallow. They will state a theme and not give it any depth or there straight up not be a theme at all. But this one really fleshes out its characters, themes, storylines and it balances it all very well while keeping a really tight pace.
I think that there's also a really good message for artists in this. Your audience will find you and you shouldn’t let the industry strip you of what makes you an artist.
For a children’s movie to very boldly take on the current state of the music industry is super incredible. It really made it one of those movies that is perfectly for kids and adults in equal measure. The themes of self acceptance and friendship were perfectly balanced with the industry commentary. I think that children’s movies have been really meaningful and well done in the last few years. In act 3 Thelma gives advice to a stranger that she realizes that she needs to take and I think that moment was super relatable to any adult watching. I think we all do that occasionally. Thelma the Unicorn gets a really solid 9/10. It is absolutely worth the watch and I think that this one should also get some attention from the Academy this year.
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Alexandrea Callaghan
Certified nerd, super geek and very proud fangirl.
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